Any way to dump a Hilton Timeshare?

[Missjen831]

Hi all. My parents bought a Hilton timeshare in 1997 during a trip to Las Vegas. The property was located in Florida. Long story short they were naive, gullible and easily swindled and have been talked in to purchasing at other Hilton properties in Vegas at least 3 times since 1997. This time share should have been paid off over a decade ago but they kept falling for the sales tactics & currently owe almost $12,000 on a 1br time share at "the boulevard" in Vegas. My mother put it up for sale in 2018 (I don't know what website) and there has been no interest. My mom passed away last July and my dad is desperate to get rid of this damn timeshare! He is 75 and in poor health. He will never travel again especially now that mom is gone. They only used this time share to go to Vegas plus RCI points for weekend visits to in California. They've been paying Hilton $400 a month since 1997!! They've spent far more than what they've gotten out of this thing. At the end of the week Hilton is going to debit my dads bank account $411 for the monthly payment and $1250 for the yearly maintenance fee and we have no way to stop this! I know they have a contract and whatnot but there's no way to stop the auto pay, There's nothing on the Hilton websites that even indicates they set up an autopsy. My dad wants to just stop paying for it. He doesn't need good credit anymore, he will never have to take out a loan or a line or credit again but again we can't even figure out how to stop the auto pay. Anything we can do here?

 

[HuskerATL]

well, he could close the account.

This is a very sad story. I don't even want to do the math on how much they have spent....ugh....

Unfortunately, he can't sell it until it is paid off but would only get pennies if he then sold it. At this point, I would send a note to pfoliosvc@hgv.com or go through the contact us page when you are logged into the account and explain the situation. Ask them to take back the deed or he will just close the account and stop paying. That he is willing to take the credit hit but would rather they just took it back.

 

[Janann]

An automatic payment from a bank account can be stopped.

How do I stop automatic payments from my bank account? | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Federal law provides certain protections for recurring automatic debit payments. You have the right to stop a company from taking automatic payments from your account, even if you previously allowed them. For example, you may decide to cancel your membership or service with the company, or you...

www.consumerfinance.gov

 

[pacman]

well, he could close the account.

This is a very sad story. I don't even want to do the math on how much they have spent....ugh....

Unfortunately, he can't sell it until it is paid off but would only get pennies if he then sold it. At this point, I would send a note to pfoliosvc@hgv.com or go through the contact us page when you are logged into the account and explain the situation. Ask them to take back the deed or he will just close the account and stop paying. That he is willing to take the credit hit but would rather they just took it back.

This is very good advice. Try Hilton first, if no luck, just stop paying.

 

[PigsDad]

Yes, get the autopayment stopped (some helpful info above) and then just stop paying. What are they going to do? Ding a 75 year old's credit rating?

Kurt

 

[Passepartout]

@Missjen831 I think you might talk to a lawyer with consumer debt experience. They may tell you what the ramifications of defaulting (stopping payments) may be. They can also inform you that as your parent's heir, that you don't have to accept any bequest- especially one that has negative value. If Dad chooses to stop paying and gets phone calls, they can be told (in writing) that ALL communication must be via US Mail. That will stop the calls and emails.

All the best!

Jim

 

[Missjen831]

Thanks everyone. I'm not entirely sure the autopay is through the bank. My brother lives with & takes care of our dad and has been paying the bills since we lost our mom and he can't figure out if the autopay is through the bank account or not. I guess I need to get in to the account myself to take a look because it sounds like it is through the bank & he just doesn't know how to cancel it. I'm going to contact Hilton & see if they will just take the deed back. The balance owed is $11,000. I've got log-in information for Hilton Honors and Hilton Grand Vacations and neither account has automatic payments set up. So it's gotta be through the bank! Worst case scenario my dad has to close the bank account before Friday & then open a new account at a different bank.

My cousin, who used to work in home loans, told my brother that if my dad stops paying on this thing that Hilton will foreclose and the sheriff will come in and put price tags on everything in my dads house and sell it off!! Which I know isn't true but she's got my brother freaking out over this and he's begging me to figure out how to stop the autopay and get rid of the timeshare. I know selling it isn't an option, no one wants this thing!

 

[funnywoman]

Thanks everyone. I'm not entirely sure the autopay is through the bank. My brother lives with & takes care of our dad and has been paying the bills since we lost our mom and he can't figure out if the autopay is through the bank account or not. I guess I need to get in to the account myself to take a look because it sounds like it is through the bank & he just doesn't know how to cancel it. I'm going to contact Hilton & see if they will just take the deed back. The balance owed is $11,000. I've got log-in information for Hilton Honors and Hilton Grand Vacations and neither account has automatic payments set up. So it's gotta be through the bank! Worst case scenario my dad has to close the bank account before Friday & then open a new account at a different bank.

My cousin, who used to work in home loans, told my brother that if my dad stops paying on this thing that Hilton will foreclose and the sheriff will come in and put price tags on everything in my dads house and sell it off!! Which I know isn't true but she's got my brother freaking out over this and he's begging me to figure out how to stop the autopay and get rid of the timeshare. I know selling it isn't an option, no one wants this thing!

I think the cousin is talking about two unrelated things. The loan for the timeshare should only be on the timeshare, unless there is something unusual about it. I used to own a Hilton T/S in Las Vegas, and the loan was not on my house. If the timeshare goes back to Hilton, that should take care of the loan. I don't think Hilton would go to the effort to try to collect the $11,000 from an ill widower. Bad publicity.

 

[funnywoman]

well, he could close the account.

This is a very sad story. I don't even want to do the math on how much they have spent....ugh....

Unfortunately, he can't sell it until it is paid off but would only get pennies if he then sold it. At this point, I would send a note to pfoliosvc@hgv.com or go through the contact us page when you are logged into the account and explain the situation. Ask them to take back the deed or he will just close the account and stop paying. That he is willing to take the credit hit but would rather they just took it back.

Is there a "c" in the email address, for example, pfoliosvc@hgvc.com?

 

[KatTeg920]

Hi all. My parents bought a Hilton timeshare in 1997 during a trip to Las Vegas. The property was located in Florida. Long story short they were naive, gullible and easily swindled and have been talked in to purchasing at other Hilton properties in Vegas at least 3 times since 1997. This time share should have been paid off over a decade ago but they kept falling for the sales tactics & currently owe almost $12,000 on a 1br time share at "the boulevard" in Vegas. My mother put it up for sale in 2018 (I don't know what website) and there has been no interest. My mom passed away last July and my dad is desperate to get rid of this damn timeshare! He is 75 and in poor health. He will never travel again especially now that mom is gone. They only used this time share to go to Vegas plus RCI points for weekend visits to in California. They've been paying Hilton $400 a month since 1997!! They've spent far more than what they've gotten out of this thing. At the end of the week Hilton is going to debit my dads bank account $411 for the monthly payment and $1250 for the yearly maintenance fee and we have no way to stop this! I know they have a contract and whatnot but there's no way to stop the auto pay, There's nothing on the Hilton websites that even indicates they set up an autopsy. My dad wants to just stop paying for it. He doesn't need good credit anymore, he will never have to take out a loan or a line or credit again but again we can't even figure out how to stop the auto pay. Anything we can do here?

This suggestion may be pretty radical…. If this was me or my dad, I would CLOSE the bank account or credit card that his money was being debited from, IMMMEDIATELY! Open up another account for your dad to use. If you have to go to another bank to open another account, just do it.

 

[RX8]

My cousin, who used to work in home loans, told my brother that if my dad stops paying on this thing that Hilton will foreclose and the sheriff will come in and put price tags on everything in my dads house and sell it off!!

As you already guessed, your cousin is wrong. Maybe that is why your cousin no longer works in home loans.

 

[funnywoman]

Hi all. My parents bought a Hilton timeshare in 1997 during a trip to Las Vegas. The property was located in Florida. Long story short they were naive, gullible and easily swindled and have been talked in to purchasing at other Hilton properties in Vegas at least 3 times since 1997. This time share should have been paid off over a decade ago but they kept falling for the sales tactics & currently owe almost $12,000 on a 1br time share at "the boulevard" in Vegas. My mother put it up for sale in 2018 (I don't know what website) and there has been no interest. My mom passed away last July and my dad is desperate to get rid of this damn timeshare! He is 75 and in poor health. He will never travel again especially now that mom is gone. They only used this time share to go to Vegas plus RCI points for weekend visits to in California. They've been paying Hilton $400 a month since 1997!! They've spent far more than what they've gotten out of this thing. At the end of the week Hilton is going to debit my dads bank account $411 for the monthly payment and $1250 for the yearly maintenance fee and we have no way to stop this! I know they have a contract and whatnot but there's no way to stop the auto pay, There's nothing on the Hilton websites that even indicates they set up an autopsy. My dad wants to just stop paying for it. He doesn't need good credit anymore, he will never have to take out a loan or a line or credit again but again we can't even figure out how to stop the auto pay. Anything we can do here?

I'm thinking of stopping payment on my T/S, and looked up the hit my credit score would take. In general, it could drop my FICO credit score 100 points, maybe more. If your dad doesn't need to take out a loan or a line of credit, he might not care about a 100-point hit.

 

[HuskerATL]

Is there a "c" in the email address, for example, pfoliosvc@hgvc.com?

There used to be but I removed it since I assumed they did with the rebranding. You can try both hgvc.com and hgv.com

 

[elaine]

I am so sorry to hear this. I would definitely contact Hilton and explain situation. But, given that there is a mortgage, I doubt HGVC will just "take back" the deed. Below is from an attorney website re. NV foreclosures. If your father has assets, it is (unfortunately) something to consider. The balance of foreclosure would likely also include attorney fees for the timeshare. So, in theory, it could be more than just a credit hit.
In Nevada, foreclosures on timeshare mortgages can be either judicial or nonjudicial. Nevadan law does not really have any special provisions for timeshare mortgages. Nevada’s anti-deficiency judgement laws do not apply to timeshares. This means that owners can still be on the hook for thousands of dollars after defaulting on the timeshare mortgage.

 

[1Kflyerguy]

I don't recall HGV having an autopay option for the annul fees. Does the loan show on the HGV club website? I know you indicated the autopay does not show, but i would curious about the loan.

You should confirm that the loan is actually with HGV, and not some 3rd party like a personal loan from a bank..

 

[linsj]

A Tugger reported here years ago that Hilton took back his timeshare even though he still owed money on it. I think it was in Vegas and probably a platinum deed. I don't remember if the loan was from Hilton or not. No idea if Hilton would consider doing the same thing now, but it's at least worth talking to someone there. I don't know who to get in touch with or what the phone number is, but hopefully, someone can post that info here.

 

[Missjen831]

I don't recall HGV having an autopay option for the annul fees. Does the loan show on the HGV club website? I know you indicated the autopay does not show, but i would curious about the loan.

You should confirm that the loan is actually with HGV, and not some 3rd party like a personal loan from a bank..

Yes the loan is definitely through Hilton, it's through Hilton Resorts Corporation and I can access it at hiltongrandvacations.com
There's a full payment history & loan number but it says NOTHING about how the payments were made. I can make a payment but there is nothing about stored payment information. My brother confirmed there's nothing set through the checking out (with Bank of America) but every month Hilton automatically takes their payment. So knowing the loan is through Hilton, is there another website I should be looking at to stop the payments?

 

[Missjen831]

Damn. Looking at the loan info, my parents have had 4 timeshares with Hilton since 1997! They've really been paying Hilton for 25 years now! This summer will be 26 years. And they still owe $11,000. This should be illegal.

 

[kanerf]

Most likely your father gave them a check when they started and HGVC used that banking information to set up the auto-pay. Has your father had the same account since then?

 

[BingoBangoBongo]

Damn. Looking at the loan info, my parents have had 4 timeshares with Hilton since 1997! They've really been paying Hilton for 25 years now! This summer will be 26 years. And they still owe $11,000. This should be illegal.

Can you figure out what he owns now? There should be a listing on the main page of the website.

Just a note that the deeds will show the original date that it was sold to the first owners, which may or may not be your parents. Mine show dates from 2003-2017, although I didn’t buy them until 2021.

 

[Missjen831]

Can you figure out what he owns now? There should be a listing on the main page of the website.

Just a note that the deeds will show the original date that it was sold to the first owners, which may or may not be your parents. Mine show dates from 2003-2017, although I didn’t buy them until 2021.

Yes. They have 5 loans on their account. The current loan is for "the boulevards" in Vegas, purchased in 2015. The first one is the original which was in Florida and they bought that one in 1997 when I was a junior in high school! They went on an anniversary trip that year and got suckered in to it. They've switched properties multiple times.

 

[Missjen831]

Most likely your father gave them a check when they started and HGVC used that banking information to set up the auto-pay. Has your father had the same account since then?

Yes he's had the same bank account so I believe you are correct here.

So today we figured out that the payment is withdrawn from my parents California Bank of America account (that's where they lived, then retired to Nevada but still have a California-based B of A account). The only reason they kept that account is because that's where the VA deposits my dads VA check every month and the VA won't let them change accounts. Everything else is done out their Nevada accounts. So tomorrow my dad is going to the bank to try to put a stop payment on these automatic withdrawals and then start calling the Hilton folks to plead with them to just take this damn thing back! Worst case scenario, the bank can't help. So we will transfer the $ from the CA bank account to the NV bank account Thursday night & then the ACH payment will fail. Then on the first of the month when the VA deposit hits we will immediately transfer it out.

Every time they were close to paying off a timeshare they were conned in to buying at another property!!!

So yes my dad has a house, it's paid off. It's in the family trust. I suppose if Hilton gets aggressive here, before it comes to being sued, we will transfer assets out of dads name. He is willing to do that. He doesn't want to pay for this thing anymore and doesn't care about the credit hit but he doesn't want to get sued either.

 

[elaine]

This seems like a very extreme, very sad situation. I would also send a letter to hgvc’s main corporate office, addressed to its General Counsel’s office.

 

[Janann]

Worst case scenario, the bank can't help. So we will transfer the $ from the CA bank account to the NV bank account Thursday night & then the ACH payment will fail. Then on the first of the month when the VA deposit hits we will immediately transfer it out.

Did you read what I posted in post #3 above? The bank is required to provide a method to stop the payment. If they claim they can't help, remind them that you are following the instructions that are posted in the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau website. Bring a printed copy of the webpage to the branch, or attach a PDF to an e-mail to Customer Service if they allow attachments. The bank is not going to ignore someone who insists he is following the instructions on the CFPB website.

Be very careful with thinking you can beat the timing on the ACH payment. Hilton and/or the ACH service will most likely try to hit the account again, and its impossible to know when that will happen.

 

[zilentbob]

Wow... are timeshares still a thing?
Boggles the mind.
I had one years ago and finally managed to GIVE it away by offering it to someone and paying THEM to take it.
A few years later that whole resort fell down.....

Wonderful commentary from John Oliver on the topic,
https://scrapsfromtheloft.com/tv-series/timeshares-last-week-tonight-with-john-oliver-transcript/